Page 93 of Take My Hand

The five of them shake their heads, explaining how they were let off with a warning and driven back to their parents' houses. Luckily, the cops didn’t bust them for underage drinking.

“How sad that kids these days can’t do that with all the video doorbells and everything.” Nikolai sighs. “I don’t think even Milo and Will really even did it much, did they?” He directs the question to Hayden and it clicks that Milo must be Nikolai’s little brother who was in the same class as Will.

Hayden shakes his head. “It’s a shame.”

“How are your brothers doing?” Jane asks Hayden. “Lucas engaged yet?”

“Almost,” he tells her. “He’s back home with my parents while he saves up for a ring.”

“You have millions of dollars. Help him out,” Walker says around a mouthful of salad.

“You also have millions of dollars and I don’t have a ring,” Scar says to Walker.

He drops his fork and swallows his food, eyes taking on a predatory glint as he turns her way and pulls her chair closer to his.

“You want a ring, sweetheart? Then I’ll go buy you one right this second.”

A large blush stains Scar’s cheeks, his words flustering her in front of all of us. It’s fun to see her squirm under his intense gaze, as she’s normally so collected and aloof.

“If you two are gonna eye-fuck each other, please do it away from the table,” Jane cringes into her wine glass, draining the last bit before extending her arm across from her for Nikolai to pour her a refill.

Hayden clears his throat, steering the conversation back on course while Walker whispers sweet nothings into Scar’s ear. “He has a good job, so it shouldn’t be long. My mom’s thrilled, as you can imagine. She’s ready to have a daughter finally.”

“And how about Will?” Jane asks.

Hayden chews on the inside of his cheek for a moment, a weighted look passing across his face.

He’s been trying to reach out to him, but Will has been shutting him down at every corner. The other day he talked to his parents and he’s going to fly home for the weekend after their last show for a visit.

“He’s struggling,” Hayden admits. “I don’t know though. He won’t really talk to me. Or anyone. He’s iced everyone out and I don’t know what to do.” He reaches up and runs a hand through his hair.

Jane gives him a sympathetic look that mirrors the one on Nikolai’s face.

A heavy silence hangs in the wake of his words, everyone understanding the gravity of what Will experienced as they all saw it firsthand through Nikolai and Hayden.

But then a deep voice breaks it, one that has spoken barely a word since we sat down but has chosen now to add in his two cents.

“Not so fun when someone turns around and does that shit to you, huh?” Reid asks Hayden, dark blue eyes like two ice chips as he stares him down.

And just like that, a cold bucket of water is dumped over this entire dinner and all of its progress.

31

HAYDEN

After the group camaraderie that took place after the incident at the club and my brief conversation with Reid after the phone call with Arun, I allowed a small spark of hope to grow inside at the thought that maybe we could all find our way back to a good place.

But clearly Reid has other plans.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask him, feeling every pair of eyes on the two of us, waiting with bated breath to see the bomb that’s ticking and about to explode.

“Reid,” Nikolai says, quietly chastising him, but he’s having none of it.

“Don’t ‘Reid’ me.” He cuts his glare over to Nikolai, causing him to sink back in his chair with a heavy sigh and a long drink from his glass. “It hurts, doesn’t it? Having Will cut you out.”

“It does,” I agree, not quite sure what he’s trying to get at.

“Do you ever think about how you did the same shit to me?”

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